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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · last · calf · deal · date · mine · file · season

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. last — to go on
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. last — finally
  12. season — of the year
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. mine — for digging
  16. season — in sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. deal — to handle
  21. file — a tool
  22. date — the fruit
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. last — final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com